Blueberry Ale-Blue Point Brewing Company

 "Craft Brewing is the first successful open source endeavor by humankind. And I really stand behind that line." Mark Burford(Owner & Brewmaster Blue Point Brewing Company)

The above quote might seem like a stretch, but when you taste a good craft beer and compare a nice craft home brew supply to the big time international beers; you really start to feel that humankind really should totally switch over to the rich side of the Craft. From beginning to end you can taste this experience of a good craft beer as soon as you sample the smell of the bottle top come of the bottleneck. This is especially true when you begin the tasting of Blueberry Ale by Blue Point Brewing Company. Of course most things fruity when attached to beer and beer making may come off a little suspect to craft beer enthusiast, but some how Blue Point seems to pull it off in this fruit/vegetable style blend. And it comes to no surprise that the Blue Point home brewing for this blueberry ale consisted of 732 pounds of fresh, plump and juicy, handpicked, USA Northern Highbush Blueberries to every batch. With all that fruit into a craft beer the consensus might be that this beer may be more suited for a children's drink rather than a drink made for beer enthusiasts. Or maybe this type of risky company home brewing might have the ingredients for one the top craft beers of a fruit make up that is for sale?

Appearance: This craft brew has an extremely crystal clear golden straw-colored ale look, not overly bubbly and seems very well carbonated. The golden straw color is complemented very well with 1/4 inch foam.

Smell: :You definitely get a citrus smell similar to Hoptical Illusion, but the blueberry most definitely stands out. However, it is blended nicely with the malt and hops so it doesn't saturate the smell of the beer with too much of a fruity aroma.

Taste: The sweetness of this blueberry ale blended in so nicely that you almost forget it's a "fruity" craft beer. The initial taste was very strong and dominant but not overly aggressive. A very strong craft beer which definitely makes you want to immediately drink down a second and a third. The taste was similar to a lighter version of a Guinness except with a fruit background. It went down very smooth and it wasn't to thin and it wasn't to thick. It was just right. Very surprising!

Mouthfeel: Again, did I mention that it went down very smooth and it wasn't to thin and it wasn't to thick. It was just right. Very surprising! I had to repeat myself because a combination like this could have had the taste and mouth experience of a disaster. Nicely carbonated and goes down clean and easy. Good solid body for a fruit beer. I highly doubt too many brewing companies know how to use their home brew supplies and home brewing equipment in their fruit beers can compete with this one.When it comes to blueberry craft beers most brewing companies simply don't know how to make a beer.

Overall: This beer may just set the stand for "fruity" craft beers. Doing my best to stay away from fruity craft beers and other crazy; and some what childish concepts "unique" beers, Blueberry Ale by Blue Point Brewery really came through on this beer and I can't really see too many complaints or disappointments with this beer. Most people have completely given up in blueberry beers or other fruit type beers. However, after tasting Bluepoints Blueberry Ale you will quickly restore faith and come back to the fruit side here and there. This was a nice surprise - an enjoyable simple beer that goes down easy and could really be a session for me. This is really how fruit beers should be done, the malt and hops always come first, and the fruit gives it just a slight tweak in flavor.This beer may just set the stand for fruity craft beers. A very strong 8 out 10 is more than fair and accurate rating for this hops.

Serving type: bottle

Hoptical Illusion-Blue Point Brewing Company

 First up on the pedestal or chopping block is Hoptical Illusion. Being a person that loves word play, I had to get this beer just because I love word play. Plus I never tasted a beer from Brewing Bluepoint Company so I figured I now have 3 reasons to buy this beer and give my opinion.

The bottle: is what also caught my attention besides the name. Labeled with dark orange and dark yellow labeling, the all seeing eye pyramid and as well as the crescent moon on the label is just giving off the hint that this beer is mysterious yet playful at the same time. Poured from a twelve oz bottle, Hoptical Illusion on the surface appears to be a nice taste to the dark side while having fun arriving there. 

Appearance: Hoptical Illusion is definitely a craft brew that is definitely an amber ale beer as it has a very light amber color. When poured into a glass this ale pale has foam that is larger than most and is also very bubbly long after it is emptied from the bottle. The more you smell this craft beer the more you will be able to pick up and relate it to some sour things that seem extremely familiar.

Aroma - At first smell, I immediately picked up a sour type aroma that seemed real familiar but I couldn't place my finger on it. The more I smelled it was similar to a sour dough or extremely ripened fruit type of smell. The more you smell this craft beer the more you will be able to pick up and relate it to some sour things that seem extremely familiar.

Taste - Unlike the smell, the taste is more similar to the label of the bottle. It is not extremely sweet tasting like a cherry wheat, but it is definitely sweeter than most top craft beers that you will find at a ny brewery or beer shop. This craft beer doesn't overly dominate your taste buds after swallowing and it leaves a taste that makes you feel that you just had a beer and there is no need to rush and have a second just yet. This is a good warm up craft beer to kick off an adventurous night of drinking and unwinding.

Mouthfeel - As mentioned before, the taste of this craft beer is not offensive at all and unlike most beers in general, it actually leaves a rewarding feeling of gratefulness that you tasted something is a little sweet yet assertive when drinking.

Overall - Although it is not a beer from Brooklyn, and not being from world famous Brooklyn Brewery; in addition to it's main features being a rare hop grown exclusively on a small farm in Oregon,  I will still give it a thumbs up since it's coming from the largest craft brewery on Long Island. It being a Long Island craft beer gives it yet another reason to have at least one of these during your drinking excursions. I am not going to lie, I have to agree with the makers of this beer pale ale, I did have a psychedelic feeling after finishing 12 ozs of Hoptical Illusion. For a moment there it felt like this craft beer was the liquid equivalent of marijuana. Maybe it's me but after finishing I felt satisfied but still wanting more with a little stronger dominance. As a starter craft beer I would give it a solid 7 our of ten if you make this the first beer you drink out of a variety of others. One of the top craft beers to lead off with but not to make it a staple. However, if you decide to make a six pack of it or venture out and grab a case' the rating would slide down to a six or lower if no other beer is drank afterwards or before. I would have to drink a complete six pack for some time before I recommend it as the beer of the month.

Serving type: bottle

Ode to the best craft beers

While walking back from a failed mission to find a decent lounge in my near by neighborhood in Bed-ford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn, I decided to stop by the countless late night to 24 hour convenience stores and pick up some craft beers to ease some tension and some prolonged heart break. Between picking between the wide assortment of some pretty good selections in the local craft beer cellar, I said to myself "your new found obsession towards craft beers could slowly put yourself in the category of either an enthusiast or alcoholic." To quickly put myself in the more pleasant category of enthusiast, I decided to be productive and write about why craft beer is so much better than the sanitized seltzer water that is the major imported brands that everyone swears by. Also, writing about my craft beer experiences and daily appreciation and fondness for craft beers and the craft beer industry, would make it easier to chronicle my favorite craft beers and also make it easier to pick my favorites quicker whenever I am at a local night spot or my local neighborhood craft beer cellar AKA bodega, corner store or convenient store. Not to mention its a nice productive balance to the alcohol consumption that might seem slightly counter-productive.

So here is my toast to the craft beer industry, craft beer enthusiasts as well as to all those who might be over whelmed by so many selections of craft beers on the market. I hope everyone enjoys this enthusiasts opinions of all the selections written about and I hope it serves as a some what decent directory from an amateurs point of view. In all of the upcoming posts will be observations about the companies, types of craft beers, craft beer festival and most things craft beer related.